underactive thyroid?

Jelly's problems....FEET, constant licking to the point of bleeding sometimes....skin, flaky (like danruff) and serious shedding and sometimes smells bad.

I tried several foods, finally settled on a grain free, salmon and sweet potato food and this still wasn't helping. The Vet said he didn't think it was the food and switched her to a less expensive Purina One smart choice lamb and rice. She likes that better and eats as soon as its in the bowl. I also give her a couple tablespoons of yogurt every day. NO treats and NO table food. She takes two benedryl in the AM and two in the PM. She goes to the groomer once a week for a bath with Pyoben benzoyl peroxide shampoo, as the vet suggested. She is 8 years old.

The vet is suggesting we do a blood test to check her thyroid, he claims an under active thyroid can cause the problems she's having. Anyone ever hear of this?

Re: underactive thyroid?

Well..I'm not a food expert..others will weigh in..purina is crap! You just haven't found the right food yet..and even then you might still have various problems.what she likes to eat..isn't what's important or what's best for her! Kids love mcdonalds..but they can't have it as much as they want! I love chocolate..but broccoli is better for me! Maybe she needs allergy testing..and I think her problems DO sound food related..at least most of them!

Re: underactive thyroid?

Samson has had these same issues and I have found with him that they are allergy related, food and seasonal. I control the seasonal allergies with the antihistamine atarax, you are using benadryl so thats great but I will add that my vet told me that not every allergy med will work with every allergy prone dog just like with humans so benadryl may not be the answer for Jelly even though it may be for other bullys. Honestly benadryl doesn't work too well for Samson while atarax does work very well. I have tried many very high quality foods with Samson, some of which he did not do well on at all! Like Fromm, alot of people here have ALOT of success with Fromm but Samson does not. He did great on Natural Balance Sweet Potato & Salmon for a couple years. Then after a surgery he started getting ear infections (6 months straight, no medication helped), took him off that because potatoes are known to aid in the growth of yeast (one of the causes of ear infections) and got him on Natures Variety Instinct salmon which is potato and grain free and within 2 weeks he was ear infection free and haven't had any more in the year since. SO what may work for one bully won't another and what worked at one time may stop working later down the road. I really believe that just like humans a dogs diet has alot to do with their overall well being so I think it's important that Jelly be on a high quality food which Purina is NOT. I know from experience that vets often don't value the importance of a high quality diet, they always seem to think in medical terms, not ever nutrional. That should help with the paw licking but if Jelly is like my Samson her licking may not only be a food issue but also an obsessive thing. Samson always licks no matter what, it is an obsessive thing so it may not ever stop all together. As for the shedding, try using a salmon oil on her food, it helps SOOOO much with shedding and allergy issues. As for the flaky skin, I would suggest trying a soap/fragrance free shampoo. Soap and fragrance dry out the skin, I use Tropiclean hypoallergenic for Samson, it's fragrance and soap free and you can find it at Petco or Petsmart (one of those, can't remember which). Oh and always remember it can easily take a month to see results when trying a new food. Oh and I agree with Jakeisgreat, of course she likes the Purina! It's like eating McDonalds everyday! And lastly I am sorry but I don't know anything about thyroid issues. I hope what I have said can be of help and Jelly gets some relief soon, I've dealt with these issues ALOT and I know how tough it can be

Last edited by TessaAndSamson; 09-27-2011 at 12:55 PM.

"Looking at a bulldog is said to cure the worse of the blues, living with one, serves to prevent them!" -Author unknown

Re: underactive thyroid?

Well I agree with @tessandsamson. No help on the thyroid whatsoever but I would continue searching for the right food for your baby and write down what you feed while making notes on what the reaction is. Sounds like a lot of food allergies there and yes vets do not know much about nutrition, or most dont anyhow. As for flaky skin I would think the salmon oil will help with that also if you dont feed it now I would start.

Re: underactive thyroid?

THANKS for the feedback! I'm changing her food today...I mixed in 1/4 cup with the old food, the BAD Purina ONE Smart Choice...not so smart I guess.
After talking to a woman who seemed very knowledgeable about Bulldog allergies and different foods I settled on Natural Choice Grain Free Limited ingredient diet, venison meal and potato formula. If she doesn't do well on it there is a money back guarantee.
For now I'm not going to do the thyroid testing...I am hypo-thyroid and I don't lick my feet, or shed, or have flaky skin....(well, maybe a little dry skin). I just have a hard time buying that theory.
This woman I spoke with said sometimes it takes a very long time to find the right food, and she felt the problems I'm describing sound like allergies. So I'll keep trying different foods till I find one that makes her more comfortable and less smelly.

My bully Sarah, who had severe allergies, was tested and her level was very low. However, I don't think giving her the thyroid med helped her allergies too much. It certainly can't hurt to have it tested as a precaution.

On that note, if your vet says Purina is fine I suggest finding a new vet

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Re: underactive thyroid?

Originally Posted by desertskybulldogs

My bully Sarah, who had severe allergies, was tested and her level was very low. However, I don't think giving her the thyroid med helped her allergies too much. It certainly can't hurt to have it tested as a precaution.

On that note, if your vet says Purina is fine I suggest finding a new vet

Re: underactive thyroid?

A truly amazing story with regard to thyroid....my friend's mom has a giant Schnauzer and he was diagnosed with a thyroid issue (not sure which hypo or hyper) and getting him on meds turned him around completely! There wasn't a skin or licking issue but this dog was like a total jerk. Moody and weird....no kidding. I can't describe it any other way, other than to say he was a total jerk. Now, he acts like a normal dog.

Re: underactive thyroid?

Originally Posted by Vicaroo1000

A truly amazing story with regard to thyroid....my friend's mom has a giant Schnauzer and he was diagnosed with a thyroid issue (not sure which hypo or hyper) and getting him on meds turned him around completely! There wasn't a skin or licking issue but this dog was like a total jerk. Moody and weird....no kidding. I can't describe it any other way, other than to say he was a total jerk. Now, he acts like a normal dog.

The vet said most times dogs are HYPOthyroid...which would explain why that dog was so pissy...mood swings are typical for someone with a hypothyroid condition and are not well managed on meds. I totally get that!
However, skin and licking problems? I can not figure how he can connect that to thyroid. I'll try this new food which will be at least the 5th food in 11 months, if this doesn't do it, I'll have her thyroid checked. She's too even tempered to be hypo...jmho

Re: underactive thyroid?

Originally Posted by love jelly

The vet said most times dogs are HYPOthyroid...which would explain why that dog was so pissy...mood swings are typical for someone with a hypothyroid condition and are not well managed on meds. I totally get that!

Yep. Harry (that's his name) is like a new man! I'm on thyroid meds too - but I don't know which I am; hyper or hypo. I didn't feel bitchy when they were off - but I did feel weepy and crazy. PLUS I had all this water weight that just FELL OFF when I started taking Levoxyl. Thyroid can do some whacky stuff to dogs and humans alike.

Like you though - even given my limited information - I would imagine that skin/licking are allergy things - not thyroid. Don't forget to tell everyone what happened when you find out! (I, for one, hate being left hanging in the "health" section here...)